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Bullying...

How are we doing at addressing bullying?

  • We're not doing enough.

    Votes: 26 43.3%
  • We're right on track and taking appropriate measures.

    Votes: 7 11.7%
  • We're blowing it way out of proportion.

    Votes: 20 33.3%
  • Other.

    Votes: 7 11.7%

  • Total voters
    60
Really? I'd never heard that before. But this isn't a topic I know much about. It just seems like most of the suicides I hear about there does seem to be some sort of easily identifiable root cause.

They're often portrayed as root causes by the media, because that's easy. Truth is they're most often just symptoms of larger and/or more deep rooted issues.
 
I posted a fact about kids that commit or attempt to commit suicide. This is not a claim that everyone or even a large percent have these disorders. If you can't understand that, then based off your posts, you area partisan hack that can't read very well.

Yes, kids do. So do adults. Not all of them, or I'd wager, even a significant number of them do so because of messed up brain chemistry. That's the only point I was making. If you can point to some that can be helped through medication, fine. The rest, the largest part by far I'm sure, aren't going to be affected.
 
I'd rather never see it personally.

I am surprised you'd support it.

Why? What's wrong with it, other than it disturbs you emotionally? It's how evolution functions, the best, the brightest, the most physically and emotionally able, survive to fill the ecological niche and thus out-reproduce the competition. How is that a bad thing, rationally?
 
I figured you would e aware of that but a problem like getting a job is nothing major to a kid when they are a kid. That is like saying that you don't have a "real worries" about "where I am gonna live" to a soldier just trying to stay alive or a teen worried about not getting gunned down... right? Point is, stress is relative to the stressor. These factors are then influenced by their emotions and mental stability while going through hormonal changes... etc.

At that point, I would put faulty parenting as a larger contribution than someone posting "you suck" on a 15 year old's Facebook page.

Maybe I was lucky. I didn't blow things out of proportion as a teenager, and even at that age I was still a pretty rational being. I also wasn't really "bullied". I was picked on a little; we all were. Hell, I had a little jock in me (starting varsity pitcher as a sophomore) and I still got razzed. I coped. I dealt with it. Now, if I'm just getting my ass whipped in the locker room or bathroom on a semi-regular basis, I support stepping in. If I'm getting harassed to a point where it's clearly and adversely affecting everyday life, I support stepping in. However, if I'm just getting my feelings hurt by a few baseless juvenile comments, I'm not about to go call a cop or try to hide my feelings behind unnecessary legislature. We need these growing pains to become fully functioning adults.

I think the problem lately is that "bullying" has become so watered down that it includes anything worse than "you're a poopy head".
 
Apparently not. We have to protect these delicate souls like Fiddy and...whatever her name is. They may accidentally be made of glass.

I was a victim of persistent bullying for being both different and disabled, day in and day out for years. I spent at least two years being escorted to schools kicking and screaming (no, I am not joking) because the atmosphere was that bad. Professionals surrounding, but not necessarily directly employed by the school in question thought this was a ridiculous atmosphere to maintain. Some teachers responded, others dismissed it. I didn't have suicidal thoughts, but I had teetered on the edge for years as a result. Now, really, another student was pushed down a flight of stairs for being different, and he and his family sued the district. People in the school thought he should have just taken in like a man, and got even more annoyed when he and his family fought back.

So yes, Gipper, I think this "man-up" mentality is bull**** and that apologists for bullies need a severe wake-up call.
 
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Why? What's wrong with it, other than it disturbs you emotionally? It's how evolution functions, the best, the brightest, the most physically and emotionally able, survive to fill the ecological niche and thus out-reproduce the competition. How is that a bad thing, rationally?
Natural selection darwinism is not social darwinism good sir. There is a world of difference between accidents(natural selection) and bullying someone to death.
 
Bullying... the new trendy social issue. How are we doing at addressing it?

I don't think any reasonable person would deny that bullying exists, but... are we properly addressing the issue or are we blowing it out of proportion?

Karen Klein's school bus bullies received death threats. The public's outcries seemed to have closed them down.
Bullying should never be accepted as the American way of life.
 
At that point, I would put faulty parenting as a larger contribution than someone posting "you suck" on a 15 year old's Facebook page.

Maybe I was lucky. I didn't blow things out of proportion as a teenager, and even at that age I was still a pretty rational being. I also wasn't really "bullied". I was picked on a little; we all were. Hell, I had a little jock in me (starting varsity pitcher as a sophomore) and I still got razzed. I coped. I dealt with it. Now, if I'm just getting my ass whipped in the locker room or bathroom on a semi-regular basis, I support stepping in. If I'm getting harassed to a point where it's clearly and adversely affecting everyday life, I support stepping in. However, if I'm just getting my feelings hurt by a few baseless juvenile comments, I'm not about to go call a cop or try to hide my feelings behind unnecessary legislature. We need these growing pains to become fully functioning adults.

I think the problem lately is that "bullying" has become so watered down that it includes anything worse than "you're a poopy head".

Yeah... fair enough. I coach the girls varsity soccer team here and during a tackle for the ball in front of our keeper our defender broke her ankle... I have a point here. She posted that she broke her ankle by running into our keeper. The keeper took this like an insult and was all distraught that the defender accused her of breaking her ankle. It was just a comment. The girl didn't try to kill herself or anything but the ****ing drama created by such a stupid misunderstanding rocked our team and part of the school. They had to have a meeting with the parents, etc. I was shocked and one parent got mad at me when I said it was "Teenage girls being acting out teenage drama" The other parent laughed and knew what I was talking about. I don't remember anything like that at all as a kid.
 
I was a victim of persistent bullying for being both different and disabled, day in and day out for years. I spent at least two years being escorted to schools kicking and screaming (no, I am not joking) because the atmosphere was that bad. Professionals surrounding, but not necessarily directly employed by the school in question thought this was a ridiculous atmosphere to maintain. Some teachers responded, others dismissed it. I didn't have suicidal thoughts, but I had teetered on the edge for years as a result. Now, really, another student was pushed down a flight of stairs for being different, and he and his family sued the district. People in the school thought he should have just taken in like a man, and got even more annoyed when he and his family fought back.

So yes, Gipper, I think this "man-up" mentality is bull**** and that apologists for bullies need a severe wake-up call.

Not the same. When someone is assaulted, there needs to be intervention. Getting your ass kicked, pushed down a flight of stairs, etc. need to be addressed regardless of circumstances. What I'm saying is that we don't need legislature that's going to criminalize the quarterback knocking your trapper keeper out of your hands in the hall, or having a mean name written on a piece of paper and put on your locker. There are people out there that think we need to call a cop if you get hit with Jello from across the lunch hall.
 
Karen Klein's school bus bullies received death threats. The public's outcries seemed to have closed them down.
Bullying should never be accepted as the American way of life.

You're the second person who has pigeon-hold this as distinctly American.
 
Natural selection darwinism is not social darwinism good sir. There is a world of difference between accidents(natural selection) and bullying someone to death.

Is there? Except where physical violence is concerned and someone is literally beaten to death, how can anyone be "bullied to death", without being an intellectual or emotional wreck to begin with?
 
Yeah... fair enough. I coach the girls varsity soccer team here and during a tackle for the ball in front of our keeper our defender broke her ankle... I have a point here. She posted that she broke her ankle by running into our keeper. The keeper took this like an insult and was all distraught that the defender accused her of breaking her ankle. It was just a comment. The girl didn't try to kill herself or anything but the ****ing drama created by such a stupid misunderstanding rocked our team and part of the school. They had to have a meeting with the parents, etc. I was shocked and one parent got mad at me when I said it was "Teenage girls being acting out teenage drama" The other parent laughed and knew what I was talking about. I don't remember anything like that at all as a kid.

Well, if they had solved their issues by rolling around with each other in the mud, they could train for a lucrative career in 5 years.

That aside, I think that's a whole other issue you see today - where parents think that their child walks on water. It reminds me of one of those pictures Josie put up in a teacher thread, stating the difference between school today and 40 years ago. 40 years ago, the kid had bad grades and the parents were demanding an explanation from the kid for bad grades. In the "today" half, the parents were demanding an explanation from the teacher for the bad grades.
 
Yes, kids do. So do adults. Not all of them, or I'd wager, even a significant number of them do so because of messed up brain chemistry. That's the only point I was making. If you can point to some that can be helped through medication, fine. The rest, the largest part by far I'm sure, aren't going to be affected.

I would say that EVERY PERSON that commits, or attempts to commit, suicide does so because of mental and emotional dysfunctions that affected them. Seems a fact. Every person on the planet gets depressed. Some barely ever, some most of their lives. Nothing PC or liberal about it, just a fact. The more depressed you get the more the likely hood of suicide. Some are helped with medication but most need a therapist.
 
Well, if they had solved their issues by rolling around with each other in the mud, they could train for a lucrative career in 5 years.

I am not supposed to see these athletic teenage girls in that manner...

That aside, I think that's a whole other issue you see today - where parents think that their child walks on water. It reminds me of one of those pictures Josie put up in a teacher thread, stating the difference between school today and 40 years ago. 40 years ago, the kid had bad grades and the parents were demanding an explanation from the kid for bad grades. In the "today" half, the parents were demanding an explanation from the teacher for the bad grades

Yep. That is more an American thing though... I don't see that much here at all. Kids are accountable here still. Thank god.
 
I am not supposed to see these athletic teenage girls in that manner...

Sucks to be you, 'cause that's all I'm thinking of now.

Yep. That is more an American thing though... I don't see that much here at all. Kids are accountable here still. Thank god.

Sadly. I think the thread was started with Americans in mind, because I doubt it's as much of a concern in other nations. I could be assuming too much though.
 
Sucks to be you, 'cause that's all I'm thinking of now.

Just my team of girls... the other teams? Right with you...

Sadly. I think the thread was started with Americans in mind, because I doubt it's as much of a concern in other nations. I could be assuming too much though.

You are most assuredly correct. I was just pointing out that not every place is full of excuses yet...
 
I would say that EVERY PERSON that commits, or attempts to commit, suicide does so because of mental and emotional dysfunctions that affected them. Seems a fact. Every person on the planet gets depressed. Some barely ever, some most of their lives. Nothing PC or liberal about it, just a fact. The more depressed you get the more the likely hood of suicide. Some are helped with medication but most need a therapist.

That's because you're assuming, without evidence, that suicide is necessarily a bad thing. I don't assume that. I think there are plenty of perfectly legitimate reasons one might end their own life that have nothing to do with mental or emotional dysfunction. Then again, I don't fear death so I don't have to take the rather absurd position that life, for the sake of life, has to be preserved at all costs.
 
Not the same. When someone is assaulted, there needs to be intervention. Getting your ass kicked, pushed down a flight of stairs, etc. need to be addressed regardless of circumstances. What I'm saying is that we don't need legislature that's going to criminalize the quarterback knocking your trapper keeper out of your hands in the hall, or having a mean name written on a piece of paper and put on your locker. There are people out there that think we need to call a cop if you get hit with Jello from across the lunch hall.

I wasn't physically assaulted.
 
That's because you're assuming, without evidence, that suicide is necessarily a bad thing. I don't assume that. I think there are plenty of perfectly legitimate reasons one might end their own life that have nothing to do with mental or emotional dysfunction. Then again, I don't fear death so I don't have to take the rather absurd position that life, for the sake of life, has to be preserved at all costs.

I assume no such thing and think that people should be able to kill themselves if they so want. And my post has nothing to do with fearing death and everything to do with the reasons that a person would kill themselves.
 
I wasn't physically assaulted.

I have only one guy that I ever bullied, but the guy tried bullying me too so as a teenager I didn't think it was so bad. Now? I regret it and would apologize if I ever saw him again.
 
Sadly. I think the thread was started with Americans in mind, because I doubt it's as much of a concern in other nations. I could be assuming too much though.
The thread was started with how we as Americans are dealing with it in mind, but some... for reasons that baffle me... have taken it to mean that only Americans bully. Which is ludicrous, of course.
 
I was a victim of persistent bullying for being both different and disabled, day in and day out for years. I spent at least two years being escorted to schools kicking and screaming (no, I am not joking) because the atmosphere was that bad. Professionals surrounding, but not necessarily directly employed by the school in question thought this was a ridiculous atmosphere to maintain. Some teachers responded, others dismissed it. I didn't have suicidal thoughts, but I had teetered on the edge for years as a result. Now, really, another student was pushed down a flight of stairs for being different, and he and his family sued the district. People in the school thought he should have just taken in like a man, and got even more annoyed when he and his family fought back.

So yes, Gipper, I think this "man-up" mentality is bull**** and that apologists for bullies need a severe wake-up call.

What did you do about your bullying? Just curious because I was pretty severely bullied myself.
 
I assume no such thing and think that people should be able to kill themselves if they so want. And my post has nothing to do with fearing death and everything to do with the reasons that a person would kill themselves.

If a person thinks they have a sufficient reason to kill themselves, even if you disagree with those reasons, what business is it of yours to step in and stop them?
 
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